Now That's What I Call Irony...
by Angel Heart
Summary: sowwie for the delay.... if neone is even readin this thang!!! lol ha ha ha well more QUEIFER-ness!!! ^_^ he he he chapter 3- nightingale
1. Prologue

  
Chapter 1- (I don't know what to name it.... ehhh untitled?)  
  
*- thoughts  
  
Disclaimer- Do you REALLY think I own all this? Cuz if you do... he he he yeahh... wutever but newayz, my storyline about Angels, Eterna, and Shinsei are all mine, k?  
  
Hot sweat drenched sapphire eyes as they focused on the battle placed before them. Adrenaline coursed through the veins of the bearer... muscles ached, energy at the point of exhaustion, fatigue getting the better of the his body... Seifer Almasy was on the verge of calling it quits on the training session he was participating in... but could he? Nope... didn't really have a choice either.   
  
With a sigh of relief escaping his lips, he thrust his gunblade through the abdomen of his opponent, signaling the end of the practice session. At the corner of the large room stood a lone figure with a stopwatch in hand. The figure was a young lady. Dark chocolate strands framed her lightly tanned complexion. Her hair was half down, half clipped up in a modern hair design. She simply sighed and shook her head before scribbling the score on the clipboard. She placed it on the floor and advanced toward the former knight, who was on both hands and knees, breathing heavily and occasionally coughing up crimson blood.  
  
"Is there something bothering you Seifer? Your times are much lower than usual..." The lady said, with a professional tone.  
  
"Not really..." Seifer replied in a dull tone.   
  
"I'm sorry Seifer... I know you hate this and all, but you know it's required."  
  
"Oh yeah? By who? I don't see Cid giving out these fucking orders for SeeDs to be trained to the point that they're about to fall flat on their asses- being so fucking tired from all this shit."  
  
"Remember Seifer..."  
  
"I know, I know... this is Angel Training. I'm not a student of Garden anymore... yeah, yeah I know." He turned his head slowly from deep, cerulean blue-green eyes that seethed through him.   
  
In truth, Shinsei Shugotenshi did feel some sympathy for him. After all, she had found him in a local cafe, lone and stray- just like a lost kitten. She had presented the shattered and broken soul of what was left of Seifer Almasy to the Headmaster of Garden, Cid Kramer. He had owed her a favor in the past years, so he repaid it by having Seifer Almasy put on probation and temporary restriction. And when they said restriction... they MEANT restriction. He wasn't to roam the halls or even get a bite to eat outside the dorm him, Shinsei, and an instructor by the name of Eterna Kaze shared. No one was to know that he even was even present at Balamb Garden, except those already involved. NO ONE.  
  
From the very beginning did Shinsei know that Seifer was different from the others. He was an Angel. Fallen, but an Angel nonetheless. Not a holy creature with a halo... but a different race that was long forgotten. Angels were a branch of the human race. They had wings of course... and already specifically learned magic abilities. They weren't necessarily stronger than humans in whichever way you look at it, but they were certainly more agile and had some other minor differences here and there. Other than that, Angels were very similar to humans. The blood of the Angels coursed through Eterna's and her veins, allowing them to become his somewhat guides.  
  
Therefore, she had mended up his broken wings and became his personal instructor to train him as Angels were to be trained- LONG AND HARD. Her partner, Eterna Kaze did the same. Shinsei was the "physical abilities" instructor, while Eterna coached Seifer in magic, special skills, and everything else there was to know about magic.  
  
Her eyes became downcast just then. *Angels don't deserve to be cooped up like this. In fact, no being does...* She looked toward the blond- haired man sitting on the chair with a bottle of water in his bleeding hand. *I really wish I hadn't made this deal... but what else could I do? Oh Seifer, you have no idea of the destiny that lies ahead of you. Absolute no idea...* She shook her head and turned towards the knight.  
  
"Session's over for today."  
  
"Yay." Seifer replied sarcastically. He walked away to his room where he plopped on to the bed... thinking of his former life... thinking of what he was missing as this exact moment...  
  
****  
  
Elsewhere, another pair of sapphire eyes were intensely focused. But, they were light-hearted, ecstatic, and yet, still focused. They were looking on in the conversation that was taking place before them. Quistis Trepe was happy for the first time in months, enveloped in an intense conversation with her fellow peers and best friends- Rinoa Heartilly and Selphie Tilmitt about the movie that had just seen. They were just chattering away like sparrows in the beginning of spring about different scenes, cute actors, etc. It was... what do you call it again? Oh yeah.. girl talk.  
  
"So Quistis.. what was your favorite scene?" Selphie questioned with a perky tone, as usual.  
  
"I don't know... I can't really decide!!" she replied enthusiastically.  
  
"How 'bout that part when the guy... asks the girl about her..." Rinoa commented, but was interrupted by a sudden case of contagious laughter. The other 2 joined in the scenario, sides aching like hell at the scene all remembered.. yet couldn't really describe without someone having a fit of giggles.   
  
After a few more moments of intense laughter, it died down and they continued with their conversation. Unknown to them, Shinsei had just entered the cafeteria where the girls were chatting, eyes squinted and searching. They finally laid on Rinoa and eased up. She strolled over to the ecstatic trio where she was instantly suffocated by tight hugs and smiles.   
  
"Shinsei!!!" Rinoa shouted. She kissed her guardian on the cheek as Shinsei did the same. The ritual continued with Selphie and Quistis with the same enthusiasm and broader smiles plastered on their faces.   
  
"Ha ha good to see you too, Rinoa. Where's your little boyfriend?"  
  
"Oh stop making fun of Squall... well he's in his dorm taking a little snooze."  
  
"I see, I see... Ladies? Will you excuse us? I need to talk to Rinoa for a minute..." Shinsei said. Quistis and Selphie nodded and walked towards a table where some of their other friends were seated. Namely, Zell Dincht, Irvine Kinneas, and another peer. Once they appeared to be seated, Shinsei turned towards Rinoa with an intense gaze.  
  
"I need a favor."  
  
~*Tsuzuku*~ (to be continued)  
  
A/N: Soooo? Wut'd you think of it so far? It's gonna be a Queifer if you didn't know that already... so yeahh!!! Comments, questions? Feel free to ask or wutever!!!  
  
  
  



	2. Favors... Favors... Favors...

  
  
Chapter 2- Favors, Favors, Favors...  
  
Disclaimer- I don't own FF8... there... I said it.  
  
... Thoughts  
  
"So why am I doing this again?" Rinoa asked with an irritated tone.  
  
"You're doing this because you owe me." Shinsei replied, equally annoyed.  
  
"I still don't see the point. Why do I have to get involved?"  
  
"Miss Heartilly please... for Seifer... for ME." Shinsei pleaded.  
  
"Alright... but JUST for you... ok?" Rinoa replied with a sigh.  
  
Shinsei beamed at the sorceress and gave her an ecstatic hug. The plan was to somehow mention to Squall that Seifer was in Garden and to somehow get Seifer to be accepted again. Of course, Shinsei had to inform Rinoa about how Seifer was here, blah blah blah. Rinoa had accepted the situation better than Shinsei had hoped, but Rinoa still held that feeling of irritation that Shinsei wished had vanished. Unfortunately, it came up again at full blast, but still subdued and controlled. Finally, Rinoa had agreed to the plan. They parted ways again and left. Rinoa approached the table in the cafeteria where her friends were sitting, along with her loving boyfriend, Squall Leonhart...  
  
"Hi guys..." Rinoa said with a downcast look.  
  
"Hey," Her loving boyfriend replied, followed by a sweet kiss on the cheek. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Oh.. ummm nothing," Rinoa lied.  
  
"Oh is that so?" Quistis questioned with a knowing look.  
  
Rinoa sighed and cast her gaze downwards toward the floor. She couldn't... it was too hard. Her and Seifer had once been together, and it was too odd... and way too difficult. She couldn't ask this of Squall, no matter how much it meant to Shinsei. Her blonde friend, Quistis cast her a worried look. Rinoa's eyebrows were knit in frustration, and she felt as if her head had just taken a dive in a sea.  
  
"Quistis?" Rinoa asked with much frustration.  
  
"Yes?"   
  
"Can you go up to Shinsei's dorm... and... and say to her that I can't?"  
  
"Can't what?"  
  
"Just... can't... please hurry."  
  
"Al... Alright..."  
  
Walking as fast she could, Quistis hurried over to the dormitory and then to the instructor's quarters. Her heels clicked behind her and echoed through the walls.   
  
Funny... there's not many people here... They're probably just having lunch... that's all. I gotta bad feeling though...  
  
Dismissing her previous thoughts, she finally reached the guardian's dorm. Because she was a highly respected individual of Garden, she was placed in the instructor dorm rooms. Quistis was never placed there though. She liked being among people and her peers, not professionally toned instructors.  
  
Finally reaching room 601, Quistis knocked on the door and called out,"Shinsei? It's me Quistis... Rinoa want's to say that she..."  
  
Before she could finish her sentence, sapphire blue eyes greeted her own, and were in equal shock. Quistis just stood there, like a victim under Medusa's spell. The person on the other side was under the same spell, but recovered faster and quickly put his hand over the former  
instructor's delicate mouth.   
  
"Don't. Say. Anything," Seifer muttered under his breath. Quistis nodded slowly. "If you scream or anything like that, you're gonna get yourself, me and Shinsei in A LOT of trouble... so keep you damn mouth shut, alright?" Quistis nodded again. "I'm gonna let you go now... just don't freak out on me, or I swear I'll knock you out."   
  
Finally releasing his hard grip, Seifer let go of the blonde girl in his arms. She took a deep breath of cool air and faced him, her strong gaze meeting his.  
  
"Seifer Almasy... What a surprise to see you, unfortunately..." Quistis spat, with a hard glare. Seifer grabbed his side and frustration covered his face.  
  
"Ouch Instructor! You could hurt a poor guy like me..." Seifer replied sarcastically. A playful smirk spread across his lips, his eyes sparkling with mischief. Despite the anger boiling up inside of her, Quistis held her gaze, her professional look resurfacing once again. Immediately, Seifer wiped the smirk off his face and held a genuine smile.  
  
"I'm guessing you would want an explanation."  
  
"I certainly do."  
  
Seifer looked around to see if anyone was looking. Once all his suspicions were confirmed, he led Quistis in to the dorm and pulled out a chair for her. She raised an eyebrow at him, but still took the unusual act of politeness and sat.  
  
"Alright.. it's like this..."  
  
~*Tsuzuku*~  
  
A/N: All right, all right.. that ISN'T what I intended it to be, but I think it still came out pretty okay. Short I know... but I had to have SOME lead on the next fic, right?   
  



	3. Nightingale

  
Chapter 3- Nightingale  
  
(A/N: VERY longly overdue chapter... if anyone is even reading   
this... I'm really sorry for the delay. My schoolwork kicked in and   
all these issues... AHHH!!! he he he well I hope this will be   
interesting for you queifer lovers out there.)  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, except for Shinsei,   
Eterna, and the Angel story line... k?   
  
When Quistis first came upon the "turf" of Seifer Al- well more   
rather Shinsei Shugotenshi... she hadn't really expected it to be so   
... Well... exquisite. Many different kinds of swords hung on the   
wall with foreign jewel designs and crests engraved on their hilts   
and even on the blade itself. On another part of the wall, different   
types and shapes of metal were engraved with similar designs as with   
the swords. It was as if... they were made.. for a... human?   
  
Her sapphire eyes cast the room a dreamy look and became wide as   
saucers when they came across the ceiling. A beautiful mural of   
gorgeous angels were painted across the entire ceiling. The detail   
was absolutely amazing. The expressions, the clothing, and   
especially the pearl white wings of the creatures captured her in   
absolute awe. The picture was in itself addicting and left the   
spectator absolutely inspired.  
  
Her crimson lips mouthed the words "amazing..." as she continued to   
stare. After a few minutes, her consciousness finally clicked back   
into reality, back into the main room of dorm 601 of the   
instructors' quarters, back into the space where she stood only 2   
feet away from Seifer Almasy.   
  
While Quistis had been in her dreamy spell, Seifer had just stood   
there, hands in pockets, staring at the Instructor in a rare moment   
of curiosity. And for once, he noticed something that no one else   
did...  
  
'Curiosity... a branch of childish adolescence... it's amazing that   
so many people at this Garden have kept it for so long...'   
  
Shinsei has spoken these words not long ago, when he too had   
undergone that same spell that Quistis was going through at this   
very moment. He closed his eyes and smiled to himself.  
  
It seems as if the Instructor hadn't lost her 'childish   
adolescence' either... talk about irony...  
  
He cautiously walked over to the starry-eyed Quistis and placed a   
hand on her shoulder. Quistis slightly jumped and turned around, her   
face in shock. She closed her eyes, let a sigh of relief go, and   
again returned to her "professional" state.  
  
"Seifer... don't scare me like that!! I swear you..." Before she   
could go on complaining, he immediately changed the subject.  
  
"Like it?" Seifer asked, as he tilted his head up to the ceiling.  
  
"Yes, actually... Who painted it? Shinsei?"  
  
"No... The angels came down here and painted it themselves..."   
Seifer replied with a sarcastic tone.  
  
"Well forgive me for asking..." Quistis said with a little   
annoyance.  
  
"Whoa... don't have to get all pissy at me..."  
  
"Eterna could've painted it you know..."  
  
"Have you seen Eterna's drawings? Or so-called drawings? A fly   
could've done better..."  
  
"It can't be that bad..."  
  
"Then you don't know Eterna."  
  
Rolling her eyes in annoyance, Quistis slowly walked towards one of   
the cases of metal clothing. She touched the box where it was kept   
in and turned back to the blonde boy.   
  
"Did she make this.. this..."  
  
"Armor? Yeah... fine piece of work huh?"  
  
"Very... how can anyone make this... this armor...?"  
  
"It's not that hard actually..."  
  
"YOU know how to make this?"  
  
"Sure.. I mean how else are you supposed to fight withou- ah,   
nevermind."  
  
Seifer shook his head as if to go on to another subject while   
Quistis stood there, her eyes locked on him, waiting for him to   
continue.   
  
"Go on..."   
  
He turned towards her, his sapphire eyes locked on hers and all of a sudden... the subject seemed too stupid and too unrealistic to fall back on anymore.   
  
"You wanted to know how I got here... didn't you?"  
  
"Yes.. umm my apologies."  
  
Now THIS was unexpected...  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For not allowing you to explain before I fell into my trance."  
  
"Heh. Sure... why not."  
  
"Have you ever heard of the nightingale?"  
  
"We're just jumping on all kinds of topics today aren't we?" He   
slowly walked towards the main table and pulled out a chair for the blonde. "Have a seat."  
  
"This is.. odd of you.."  
  
"What is?"  
  
"Pulling out chairs for people. It's not normal for you."  
  
"Then you don't know me either." Their eyes locked again in some   
kind of awkward mutual understanding. Wait... Mutual...   
understanding?!?! Quistis and Seifer? Heh... Now that's what I call   
Irony... (hence the title of my fic ^_^)   
  
"Now, about the Nightingale..."  
  
"Why do you wanna know?"  
  
"I just do... It's something that Shinsei talks about sometimes, and   
I wanted to actually understand it."  
  
"Why didn't you ask puberty boy or chicken-wuss?"  
  
He hasn't changed a bit. Quistis thought  
  
"Well, Squall wouldn't bother to answer and I don't think Zell would   
  
know."  
  
"What makes you think I would know?"  
  
"Because you live with Shinsei."  
  
"That doesn't necessarily mean I know."  
  
"Well, do you?"  
  
"Why are you asking again?"  
  
"Are you doing this on purpose just to get me..."  
  
"Angry? Maybe I am, maybe I'm not."  
  
"You're a real puzzle, Seifer Almasy."  
  
Another unexpected remark.  
  
"What do you mean by that?"  
  
"I'll explain if YOU explain about the nightingale." Amazing... the   
  
cat had finally trapped the mouse in the corner.  
  
"Ok fine... well there's really not much to explain. It's a legend   
about how an emperor loved the song of a mechanical bird."  
  
"There's more..."  
  
"No there isn't."  
  
"Yes there is..."  
  
"I think I would know a little better than you would..."  
  
"Seifer..." Quistis only gave him a soft glare, yet he found himself   
giving in... a little too easily.  
  
"Alright... fine. Let's see.. a nightingale is an exotic bird with   
an enchanting song. Throughout ancient legends, this bird has been   
hunted down as a treasure for the melody of its beautiful song.   
It's been said, that one hunter finally captured it and locked it in   
a cage. But...."  
  
"But...?"  
  
"But through hopelessness and despair, the bird never sang its song.   
The villagers of the hunters tribe tried to get it to sing, but of   
course it never did. Finally, a mystic woman came to the village and   
told them that putting it in a cage wasn't going to get them   
anywhere. She quickly unlocked the cage and the nightingale was   
set free."  
  
"Did it begin to sing again?"  
  
"Damn right it did."  
  
"Ah.... so Seifer how long have you been here at Garden? I haven't   
seen you around lately..."  
  
"That's because I'm not allowed to."   
  
"Allowed to? Allowed to what?"  
  
"Be outside this dorm of course." Quistis' eyes reacted in shock.  
  
"Really? Why?" Seifer rolled his eyes in annoyance.  
  
"Let's see... ummm I wrecked up the Garden, fought alongside Ultimecia, launched an all out attack on this Garden, joined Rinoa with Adel... must you really walk me down memory lane?"  
  
"I never asked you to explain..."  
  
"You asked why. That was enough." Quistis closed her eyes and nodded   
slowly in understanding.  
  
"You haven't been singing lately... have you?" Needless to say, Seifer suddenly found himself lacking the words to retaliate.  
  
~*Tsuzuku*~  
  
(A/N: ok... the legend of the nightingale might not be exact... but   
it's something I've heard over time. After watching big-o on cn this   
totally popped into my mind as inspiration for one of these   
chapters. Good? Bad? a lil help here!!! And again, sorry I'm so   
late. Punctuality isn't exactly my best feature ^_^*.   
  
  
  



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